


Cautious Optimism

by afrocurl



Category: Veronica Mars (TV), Veronica Mars - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, College
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-01-02
Updated: 2010-01-02
Packaged: 2018-02-13 11:34:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,911
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2149200
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/afrocurl/pseuds/afrocurl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Logan's putting his summer into perspective, right when he needs to.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cautious Optimism

**Author's Note:**

  * For [zaftig_darling](https://archiveofourown.org/users/zaftig_darling/gifts).



> Betaed by the lovely [](http://starxd-sparrow.livejournal.com/profile)[**starxd_sparrow**](http://starxd-sparrow.livejournal.com/), and written for [](http://zaftig-darling.livejournal.com/profile)[**zaftig_darling**](http://zaftig-darling.livejournal.com/) for the 2009 [](http://vm-santa.livejournal.com/profile)[](http://vm-santa.livejournal.com/)**vm_santa**. I really hope you like this--it's not quite one of the prompts, but I hope you like it nonetheless.

Logan stared at the Word document, watching the cursor flashing at him before he put his fingers to his laptop and worked out the most important essay of his academic career.

>   
> **Indicate a person who has had a significant influence on you and describe that influence.**
> 
> Given my past (which will not be discussed here, not only for the sake of brevity, but also for the sake of your estimation of me as a viable student for your institution), the person with the most significant influence on me has been my girlfriend, Veronica. If you please, the groans and eye rolls can stop (especially because I know how corny it sounds). She’s been the anchor I’ve needed in the last six months, a person who’s been able to set me on the right path to fill out this application, and the lone voice nagging me to embark on a journey _down_ that path.
> 
> Life has been nothing short of chaotic for me for as long as I can remember, and it wasn’t until recently I started to focus on what was important in my life. Until I met Veronica, I reveled in being the life of the party and taking advantage of the reflected celebrity of my parents’ success. Thanks to her, though, I've put that behind me. I'm probably not yet mature enough to really appreciate my newfound maturity, but I understand it's a good thing to have focus and to grow and change. That's what she tells me, anyway, and I'm inclined to believe her.
> 
> There are countless instances where Veronica's pulled me back from the edge (both figuratively and literally). For example, I spent last summer under close public scrutiny (not by any choice of my own, believe me). The old me would have blamed everyone around me and thrown money at the problem until it went away, but Veronica forced me to realize the only person responsible was me. Truth is, I had gotten into a turf war in my town, but it wasn’t until Veronica threatened to leave me if I continued to be reckless that I finally started to wake up. She made me realize a petty grudge wasn’t worth my time, and that if I wanted a future, I'd need to leave such childish things behind.
> 
> However, even more eye-opening was the day I thought she'd gone for good. Veronica had gone on a field trip, and on the way back, the bus went off the side of the highway and into the Pacific Ocean, killing all but one of the passengers immediately. Knowing the odds were stacked against Veronica being the sole survivor, all I wanted to do was revert back to the man I’d been in the summer: bent on destruction, not only my own, but of the rest of the world. I wanted to open all the old wounds she’d been able to heal and let the pain rush over me as my blood spilled out. It took one call to change all of that, just one call for me to realize that she hadn’t been on the bus, that she was still alive.
> 
> Thankfully, she’s still here to whip me into shape when I need it, but I'm finding I need her guidance less and less often. Veronica's worked her way so deep within me; she's my conscience, my teacher, and my heart all at the same time. I don't like to imagine where I'd be without her, but luckily, I don't have to. 

He stared at the essay, unsure if it really justified the soul-rattling terror he'd experienced after he heard about the school bus crash. It wasn’t like he wanted to tell the admissions departments of every school his favorite coping mechanism before Veronica had been polishing off a bottle of Cuervo at Dog Beach or just how he'd engaged half the town in a turf-battle.

Fuck it. It was Christmas and he'd promised Veronica a draft of the essay. He hit print and set the laptop aside, pushing all the yeses or nos that awaited him to the back of his mind.

-

“Merry Christmas, Veronica,” Logan called after Keith let him into the apartment for Christmas Eve dinner.

“That’s not for,” she checked her watch, “another seven hours, but I appreciate the sentiment.”

“Well, I wanted to be the first to say it,” he rejoined, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

“Of course you do. Now, do I see something in your hands behind you?” she asked, her eyes dancing greedily.

Logan grinned and backed away. “You might, but there’s more for you tomorrow, I promise.”

Veronica looked excited at the prospect rather than fearful – that, Logan thought, was good news. “What is it?”

“Forgetful at eighteen? That just won’t do, Department of Admissions, Stanford University.”

She arched an eyebrow at him and folded her arms across her chest. “Fork it over now, Echolls, or else we’re not feeding you.”

Keith chimed in, saving Logan from having to answer. “Why so harsh, honey?”

“Thank you, Mr. Mars,” Logan calmly replied before he placed a single sheet of paper in Veronica’s hand.

Logan watched as she moved towards her room to read the essay in relative peace before dinner before joining her there.

“Go easy on me.” He had intended to sound teasing, but instead, it came out more like a plea.

“Give me ten minutes to read this once and then you can go talk to Dad about football while I edit.”

“What am I supposed to do while you read it?”

“Not distract me, or else it’ll take me fifteen minutes to read it.”

“Fine, I’ll just go sit on your bed and imagine what we can do on it later.”

“Stop that!”

“What? I didn’t do anything,” Logan protested.

“Outside, now, Logan. Or else this’ll never get done.”

Logan sauntered out of the room to make small talk.

-

Veronica sat at her desk and selected a red pen with which to edit. He’d asked her to go easy, sure, but she had every intention of giving the essay the full treatment. Logan being admitted to college would have been a better Christmas gift than she could even have asked Santa for, and if it took her acting as Santa’s little helper? Well, she’d tear the thing to pieces.

>   
> **Indicate a person who has had a significant influence on you and describe that influence.**
> 
> Given my past (which will not be discussed here, ~~not only for the sake of brevity, but also for the sake of your estimation of me as a viable student for your institution~~ I get the point of that, but it’s too informal for something like this, Logan.), the person with the most significant influence on me has been my girlfriend, Veronica. If you please, the groans and eye rolls can stop (especially because I know how corny it sounds). She’s been the anchor I’ve needed in the last six months, a person who’s been able to set me on the right path to fill out this application, and the lone voice nagging me to embark on a journey _down_ that path.
> 
> Life has been nothing short of chaotic for me for as long as I can remember, and it wasn’t until recently I started to focus on what was important in my life. Until I met Veronica, I reveled in being the life of the party and taking advantage of the reflected celebrity of my parents’ success. That’s not entirely true, Logan. No lying in the essay. Thanks to her, though, I've put that behind me. I'm probably not yet mature enough to really appreciate my newfound maturity, but I understand it's a good thing to have focus and to grow and change. That's what she tells me, anyway, and I'm inclined to believe her. Don’t oversell me, or it’s just going to seem trite and obnoxious.
> 
> There are countless instances where Veronica's pulled me back from the edge (both figuratively and literally). For example, I spent last summer under close public scrutiny (not by any choice of my own, believe me). The old me would have blamed everyone around me and thrown money at the problem until it went away, but Veronica forced me to realize the only person responsible was me. Talk this up more—this essay should reflect how you’ve really changed from the influence. Agency is your friend here. Truth is, I had gotten into a turf war in my town, but it wasn’t until Veronica threatened to leave me if I continued to be reckless that I finally started to wake up. She made me realize a petty grudge wasn’t worth my time, and that if I wanted a future, I'd need to leave such childish things behind.
> 
> However, even more eye-opening was the day I thought she'd gone for good. Veronica had gone on a field trip, and on the way back, the bus went off the side of the highway and into the Pacific Ocean, killing all but one of the passengers immediately. Knowing the odds were stacked against Veronica being the sole survivor, all I wanted to do was revert back to the man I’d been in the summer: bent on destruction, not only my own, but of the rest of the world. I wanted to open all the old wounds she’d been able to heal and let the pain rush over me as my blood spilled out. It took one call to change all of that, just one call for me to realize that she hadn’t been on the bus, that she was still alive. Given that you’re supposed to show the influence, this paragraph seems odd. There’s no real reaction to what you thought after the bus crash, and I think to make it a stronger point for them you’ll need to explain it more.
> 
> Thankfully, she’s still here to whip me into shape when I need it, but I'm finding I need her guidance less and less often. Veronica's worked her way so deep within me; she's my conscience, my teacher, and my heart all at the same time. I don't like to imagine where I'd be without her, but luckily, I don't have to. 

She walked back out into the rest of the apartment to hand Logan back the essay.

-

Logan stared at the paper, marked in Veronica’s handwriting, as he tried to wade through her comments to craft the final draft of his essay.

He slowly went through Veronica’s notes and edited the essay to what he thought was a fitting application essay.

>   
> **Indicate a person who has had a significant influence on you and describe that influence.**
> 
> Given my past (which will not be discussed here, not only for the sake of brevity, but also for the sake of your estimation of me as a viable student for your institution), the person with the most significant influence on me has been my girlfriend, Veronica. If you please, the groans and eye rolls can stop (especially because I know how corny it sounds). She’s been the anchor I’ve needed in the last six months, a person who’s been able to set me on the right path to fill out this application, and the lone voice nagging me to embark on a journey _down_ that path.
> 
> Life has been nothing short of chaotic for me for as long as I can remember, and it wasn’t until recently I started to focus on what was important in my life. Until I met Veronica, I reveled in being the life of the party, taking advantage of the reflected celebrity of my parents’ success, when I wasn’t being paralyzed by abuse at my parents’ hands. Thanks to her, though, I've put that behind me. I'm probably not yet mature enough to really appreciate my newfound maturity, but I understand it's a good thing to have focus and to grow and change. That's what she tells me, anyway, and I'm inclined to believe her because she’s been through much worse than I have in our short lives.
> 
> There are countless instances where Veronica's pulled me back from the edge (both figuratively and literally). For example, I spent last summer under close public scrutiny (not by any choice of my own, believe me). The old me would have blamed everyone around me and thrown money at the problem until it went away, but Veronica forced me to realize the only person responsible was me. Truth is, I had gotten into a turf war in my town, but it wasn’t until Veronica threatened to leave me if I continued to be reckless that I finally started to wake up. She made me realize a petty grudge wasn’t worth my time, and that if I wanted a future, I'd need to leave such childish things behind. If she hadn’t forced me to reevaluate my position in our town, I don’t know what to think of where I’d be now—undoubtedly suffering from the consequences of the turf war I’d started, or worse off, dead—but instead, I’m working on applying to colleges and continuing to improve myself.
> 
> Even more eye-opening was the day I thought she'd gone for good. Veronica had gone on a field trip, and on the way back, the bus went off the side of the highway and into the Pacific Ocean, killing all but one of the passengers immediately. Knowing the odds were stacked against Veronica being the sole survivor, all I wanted to do was revert back to the man I’d been in the summer: bent on destruction, not only my own, but of the rest of the world. I wanted to open all the old wounds she’d been able to heal and let the pain rush over me as my blood spilled out. It took one call to change all of that, just one call for me to realize that she hadn’t been on the bus, that she was still alive. Her influence, even in a few short months, escaped me in those hours that I imagined she was dead. Nothing could have stopped me from going back to where most of the trouble started and falling off the Coronado Bridge. By the time her father called to assure me that she was alive, I was half way towards my own end. A simple call turned me around—just as she had done in July—and put be back towards her.
> 
> Thankfully, she’s still here to whip me into shape when I need it, but I'm finding I need her guidance less and less often. Veronica's worked her way so deep within me; she's my conscience, my teacher, and my heart all at the same time. I don't like to imagine where I'd be without her, but luckily, I don't have to. 

-

> March 26, 2006
> 
> Mr. Logan Echolls  
>  12755 Rio Angeles Road  
>  Neptune, CA 90909
> 
> Dear Mr. Echolls,
> 
> I am please to inform you that you have been admitted to the Hearst Class of 2010. Congratulations! The Admissions Department was enthralled by your application, despite its blemishes, and we hope you’ll consider being a member of our community in the fall. Moreover, we were impressed by your candor in your personal statement as well as the recommendations from your school.
> 
> We know that you have many choices coming your way from the other colleges to which you applied. If you choose to attend Hearst next year, please confirm your acceptance of our offer by returning the enclosed form and a $500 non-refundable deposit payable to The Trustees of Hearst College before May 1, 2006. Be sure that you make no other deposits to any other colleges, and continue to put forth the same academic turnaround for the remaining weeks of the academic year. Your acceptance to Hearst College is contingent on your successful completion of the academic standards set forth by your secondary institution and your continued work as a model student and civic member. The College reserves the right to revoke this offer of admissions if these conditions are not met.
> 
> If you have applied for financial assistance, you should receive a letter from our Office of Financial Aid within a week. Should you accept our offer, you will hear from us again and from the Dean of Students about matriculation in August.
> 
> I hope to welcome you in the Fall, and congratulations again on the accomplishments you’ve made this year.
> 
> Donna R. Saxon  
>  Director of Admissions/Senior Associate Dean

Logan stood, re-reading the letter in his hand. He’d done it, with Veronica’s help, and he didn’t have to risk losing her again either.

Unable to wait even a moment, he pulled out his cell and dialed her.

“I’ve got a surprise for you.”

“Uh, most people start with hello, but I have a surprise too.” He could hear her grinning and couldn’t help smiling in return. “You go first,” she went on, and Logan’s grin broadened all the more.

Logan knew this was news better delivered in person. “Why don’t I come over and tell you?”

She didn’t even pause. “See you in twenty?”

“Twenty it is.” He closed the cell, grabbed his keys, and put the letter back into its envelope. Anyone who saw Logan during his drive over to Veronica’s saw a man flush with pride and something like joy – and when Veronica met him at the door, she guessed exactly what his news would be.


End file.
